Dairy Free Cashew Cream Beef Lasagna

Total time2 hr 5 min

Prep time35 min

Cook time1 hr 15 min

Lasagna is one of those dishes that feels almost impossible to pull off without butter, cream, and a mountain of mozzarella — but this version proves that assumption completely wrong. The real star is the cashew béchamel, where soaked raw cashews are blended into a silky cream, then cooked into a proper roux-based white sauce with dairy free milk and a hint of nutmeg. It's rich, velvety, and layered between a deeply seasoned beef and tomato sauce that simmers long enough for everything to meld into something genuinely craveable. Nutritional yeast adds a subtle savory depth that rounds out the dairy free mozzarella beautifully, so no layer feels like it's missing anything. The whole thing bakes covered first to steam through, then uncovered until the top is bubbling and golden — exactly how lasagna should look coming out of the oven. Resting it for a full 15 minutes before slicing is the move that keeps those gorgeous layers intact on the plate. With 8 generous servings, this is the kind of dish you make on a Sunday and feel good about all week.

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Ingredients

8 servings

For the cashew béchamel

1 ½ cups raw cashews
Great Value Roasted Cashews With Sea Salt Roasted Salted Cashews, 7 oz Gold Emblem Fancy Whole Cashews Sea Salt Simply Nature Organic Non-GMO Roasted Cashews Salted Kirkland Signature Roasted and Salted Cashews
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3 cups water, divided (2 cups for soaking, 1 cup for blending)
3 tbsp olive oil
3 tbsp all-purpose flour
2 cups dairy free milk
½ tsp salt
¼ tsp ground nutmeg

For the meat sauce

2 tbsp olive oil
1 medium yellow onion, finely diced
4 garlic cloves, minced
1 ½ lb ground beef (85% lean)
1 can (28 oz) crushed tomatoes
2 tbsp tomato paste
1 tsp dried oregano
1 tsp dried basil
½ tsp salt
¼ tsp black pepper

For the assembly

12 lasagna noodles (about 12 oz)
2 cups dairy free mozzarella, shredded
3 tbsp nutritional yeast

For serving

2 tbsp fresh basil, torn (optional)

Instructions

1
Place the cashews in a bowl and cover with 2 cups of cold water. Soak for at least 30 minutes (or up to 4 hours), then drain and rinse thoroughly.
2
Transfer the drained cashews to a blender with 1 cup of fresh water and blend on high until completely smooth, about 2 minutes. The mixture should be thick and creamy with no visible grit. Set aside.

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